The Lamplighter SchoolGreenTeam

MISSION

The mission of the Lamplighter Green Team is to raise awareness of our present consumption, educate our community about the growing environmental challenges facing our Earth, and inspire all members to take action to reduce our collective and individual carbon footprints.

Color Cycle

Lamplighter's Green Team, which focuses on raising awareness about environmental challenges and taking actions to reduce carbon footprints is beginning a new in-school initiative. ColorCycle is a program the Crayola company has launched in which schools across the country can collect and mail in used and old markers. According to Crayola, "ColorCycle is a sustainability initiative designed to repurpose Crayola markers." Help Lamplighter collect markers and increase awareness about eco-friendly practices.

Earthly Idea

Lamplighter's Green Team sponsored a booth at Earth Day Texas at Fair Park.

Earth Day Texas is an annual event that celebrates progress, hope, and innovation. The largest of its kind in the world, Earth Day Texas brings together environmental organizations, businesses, academic institutions, government agencies, speakers, interactive programming, and subject matter experts. Attendees enjoyed outdoor experiences including live music, and food pavilions, electric bike test tracks, and family activities. Earth Day Texas "creates a fun and engaging atmosphere for thought and experiential learning while encouraging attendees to be the change they wish to see in the world." Learn more.

Folding at Home

The Lamplighter Green Team is asking the entire Community to participate in the Stanford University "folding@home" program. Proteins are elementary machines inside every cell that we rely on to keep us alive and healthy. They assemble themselves by “folding.” When proteins misfold, there can be serious health consequences. If we better understand protein misfolding we can design drugs and therapies to combat these illnesses.

Folding@home software aids research by simulating protein folding. Simply download the software to your computer and then all the computers in the world work together to solve the mystery of protein folding. This could bring an end to diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and others. The software runs while you do other things like cooking, playing, and working. It runs even while you sleep. Click to learn more about how you can help, or watch this short video for an animated explanation. If you enter 227675 under "For team ____," your points will count towards the Lamplighter running total! Here's a fun fact: Lamplighter's laptops have a combined processing power greater than the world's most powerful supercomputer in 1999!

Reduce / Reuse / Recycle

Compost it! Compost helps improve soil so it holds more water and plants grow better. Allow grass clippings to stay on the lawn, instead of bagging them. The cut grass will decompose and return to the soil naturally. Food scraps and kitchen waste also make good compost, and you save money on fertilizers or other additives.

GROWOrganic Produce Co-Op

The Green Team announces its sponsorship of a new program called "Grow," available to the entire Lamplighter Community. Grow is an organic produce co-op featuring fruits and vegetables that are grown locally and organically. Visit grow organic local and sign up for an assortment of produce that will be delivered monthly to Lamplighter. The box will include the produce, a loaf of bread from Empire Bakery, and produce-related recipes. There are a variety of boxes that you can choose from each month. The maximum cost is $68.50 per month of which $10.00 is returned to Lamplighter. You will have the ability to select the months you desire to purchase the produce.

Lamplighter launched the program in January and you have until midnight the last day of the prior month to place your order for the following month (e.g. December 31 for January). On the second Wednesday of the month, Lamplighter will deliver the box to you in carpool. "I think this is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to start off the new year with healthy foods," emphasized Marynell Murphy, Lamplighter's Director of Operations who oversees the program.